The Kitsune's Curious Love
by dei-deifangirl13
Summary: Many times Naruto has said he won't give up on his love for Sakura, but now he finally has. He realizes he has feelings for Hinata. Will he be able to confess though?
1. Chapter 1

Naruto walked to Iruka-sensei's house. He wanted to see if his old sensei would have ramen with him; after all, no one else would. He knocked on Iruka's door to see if he was even home.  
About two minutes after he knocked, Iruka opened the door.  
Iruka smiled. "Hello, Naruto. What can I do for you on this lovely day?"  
The blond boy grinned. "Sensei, I wanted to see if you would want to have ramen with me."  
Iruka then grinned as well. "Well, sure. I don't have anything to do. Just let me grab my wallet."  
The teacher walked off and came back with his wallet, he put it in his back pocket and he walked out and locked the door.  
"So where's everyone else Naruto? Couldn't find someone your age to eat with?" He questioned the teen.  
"No. Everyone else was busy... or just didn't want to. I was thinking of maybe asking... Oh never mind. Its nothing." The blond boy said.  
"Asking who?" Iruka pushed him on.  
Naruto kept walking. He thought for a few minutes before replying.  
"Hinata. I was thinking of asking Hinata-chan. But... the thing is, Iruka-sensei... I don't know how to ask a girl out... I really like her... I think I would only mess it up." Naruto babbled.  
"Hm... well... I don't really have a lot of dating experience... But I think if you like her, you should just go for it. Okay, Naruto? Ask her out. Or..." he paused. "You could ask someone close to her how they think she feels for you. For example, Neji Hyuga."  
Iruka told the teen as he shrugged.  
Naruto thought for a minute. "Say... that's a good idea! I never thought about that. But I don't think Neji is the sharing type... Is there anyone else you think would know, Iruka-sensei?"  
This time it was the sensei that was left thinking.  
"Hm... maybe one of the other girls. Ino, Sakura, or TenTen," he answered, a little unsure. "Why don't you just go straight to Hinata? Confess how you feel and to her. Don't be, er, ignorant by going and asking around. Its best directly from the source. Okay? And... we can just get ramen another time. Go now."  
Naruto looked at his former master and the at his feet as they fidgeted in the gravel beneath him.  
"You think I should just confess...? But what if she... rejects me?" Naruto seemed very nervous.  
Iruka laughed. And Naruto gave him a sharp look.  
"I'm sorry, Naruto. Its just that... you spent all those years saying you would never give up no matter how many times Sakura rejected you. Why are so worried about Hinata rejecting you?" Iruka seemed amused.  
Naruto looked at the sky, scratching the back of his head. "Let me give you an answer to that once I figure it out myself. I'm going to find Hinata now. Bye, Iruka-sensei!"  
And with that, the knuckle-headed ninja ran off.


	2. Chapter 2

The blond showed up at the Hyuga compound and rang the bell at the gate.  
The one who opened the gate was Neji.  
Naruto spoke up, "Hello, Neji. I was wondering if Hinata was here?"  
Neji nodded. "Yes she is. Would you like to come in or shall I just go to get her?"  
He thought for a minute. "Could you go get her? Please?"  
Neji nodded and left Naruto waiting, while he went to get his cousin.  
It was about seven minutes later when Hinata came out to the gate.  
Her gorgeous pearl colored eyes were bright and her dark violet hair looked like a curtain of silk. Naruto couldn't help but think of how beautiful she truly was. She was wearing a pair of black pants and a dark blue T-shirt.  
"H-hello, Naruto-kun. What did you need?" She stuttered like she always did.  
"I wanted to talk to you. Its important. But I was also wondering if you would like to go have ramen with me?" Naruto sounded very nervous and Hinata could see that.  
She nodded. "Of course, Naruto-kun."  
"Its on me, okay?" Naruto asked.  
She nodded in agreement. "I'm going to let my father know. And grab my jacket."  
She ran off as she said this.  
He waited for her to come back. While she was gone, he looked into his frog wallet to make surd he would have enough money to pay for them both, luckily he did.  
He put it away and leaned against the gate, waiting.  
A minute later, she came out in her purple and white jacket.  
"All set?" Naruto asked.  
She smiled, blushing softly. "Yes."  
As they walked to Ichiraku's ramen shop, a sort of awkward silence fell between them.  
Naruto was thinking of how to tell her, and trying to get the nervous feeling to go away.  
Hinata, on the other hand, was quite worried. She had no idea what someone as amazing as Naruto would want with her. She thought maybe he realized she liked him and he wanted to let her down easy. After all, he had loved Sakura for the longest time.  
When they got to the best ramen shop in all of the Land of Fire, Naruto ordered Shio ramen and Hinata ordered Miso ramen.  
As they waited, Naruto looked at Hinata.  
"So I wanted to tell you something, but the thing is... I don't know how to tell you," he said.  
Hinata thought for a moment.  
"Why don't you try? I am sure I can keep up," she said softly.  
"Its about me and you... and Sakura... kind of..." he seemed very nervous.  
At the mention of Sakura's name, Hinata's heart sank.


	3. Chapter 3

Hinata looked away from Naruto. "I understand. She is perfect."  
There appeared a look of confusion, upon Naruto's face.  
"What do you mean? I was going to tell you... that I... well I have given up on my feelings for her. I wanted you to be the first- actually, second- to know," he jabbered.  
She was shocked speechless.  
Naruto became suddenly very tense. "Hinata, are you okay?"  
Hinata focused her pearl colored eyes on his sky blue ones, and she smiled at the blond.  
"Wh-why are you telling me this, Naruto-kun?" She stammered, slightly shaken.  
He stared deeply into his bowl of ramen for a minute, before meeting her eyes again.  
"As a matter of fact, it has to do with what the important thing that I wanted to talk to you about," Naruto took a deep breath. "You're probably wondering what that is, right?"  
The gorgeous girl nodded, making her satin hair flow around her shoulders.  
He took another deep breath, then answered her question. "I didn't know how to go about telling you. And i thought maybe I would completely mess it up. However, now, I suppose I will just be straight forward with you," he halted for only a minute. "I... like... you, Hinata... I guess my unrequited love for Sakura blinded me... I understand if you don't feel the same. I mean, I have spent all these years going for someone I knew, deep down, wouldn't ever want me..."  
Once again, he was babbling and Hinata held up a hand to stop his tirade.  
"Naruto! Please. Slow down and breathe. Can I say something?" She interrupted.  
At his nod, she continued, after taking a minute to think about her words. "First, th-thank you for t-telling me. And s-second, Naruto, f-for as l-long as you have l-liked Sakura, I h-have liked y-you. I don't understand it... Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, says it is a th-thousand percent obvious that I h-have always li-liked you... Yet, you never noticed? I don't know. I think I j-just a-assumed that, because you didn't acknowledge it, you didn't like me. However, I th-thought... n-now is th-the p-perfect t-time to tell you that I-I like you as well. Okay?"  
Naruto stared at her, nodding gently.  
"You can talk now," Hinata said, nervous at his silence.  
"I'm sorry. I was shocked... I was truthfully expecting rejection. I really must be blind. All these years and I never noticed your feelings? Is... is that why you always blush?" He questioned.  
This time it was her, who looked at the ramen.  
Hinata shook her head no. "I'm just naturally like that."  
"So... what does this mean for us?" He asked.  
She glanced at him. "That's... f-for you to d-decide, Naruto-kun."


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto spent the next ten minutes thinking. He was still deep in thought, when he heard Hinata finish her ramen and set down her chopsticks. He came out of his thought-enduced trance.  
He refocused on her.  
"How about... we try dating then?" he suggested.  
Hinata centered her nearly white eyes on him.  
"Are y-you s-sure you want to d-do that, N-Naruto-kun?" she stammered, seeming unsure.  
He was actually very surprised that she would ask such a thing.  
Naruto tried to decide on a way to prove that he was serious. He thought of one way, and hoped she wouldn't get upset over it.  
He leaned over and placed a soft kiss upon her cheek.  
"Yes, I want to," he said, pulling away.  
Sakura chose that moment to appear from around the corner, just soon enough to see him kiss Hinata.  
"Naruto! You pervert! How dare you kiss Hinata-san!"  
She punched him in the cheek and sent him to the ground instantly.  
Hinata turned bright red and looked at Sakura.  
"Sakura-chan... it's okay. Naruto and I are going to t-try dating. Y-you have no reason to c-call him a pervert," she explained in a babble.  
Sakura, with her pink hair and green eyes, looked at Hinata and tilted her head to the side.  
"Really?" She asked.  
Naruto stood up.  
"Hey, Sakura! What'd you do that for?!" He yelled.  
Sakura's eyes widened. "I didn't know, Naruto. I'm sorry. Well I have somewhere to be now. Bye."  
And with that she ran off.  
Naruto pulled out his froggy wallet and paid the owner of Ichiraku's Ramen. Then he turned to Hinata.  
The blond Kitsune smiled at her, scratching the back of his neck.  
"So, Hinata, would you like to go... on a date tonight? How about a movie?" He smiled more at her, his sky colored eyes sparkling.  
She smiled back at him, her cheeks a bit red. "Of course, Naruto."  
"I will pick you up at six thirty. See you then!" He turned and ran off.  
Hinata giggled at his enthusiasm and went home to inform her father.


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto immediately went for help with his date. He found Kakashi-sensei. And Jiraiya at the Konoha Hot Springs. Kakashi was reading in the water, while Jiraiya was spying on the women, like always.  
He looked at his first sensei. "Kakashi-sensei, can you please get dressed so that we can go to Ichiraku's to talk?" He asked, sounding nervous.  
Kakashi could tell that there was something troubling the blond so he nodded and said, "Yeah. Give me a minute."  
Naruto walked out and wandered over to Jiraiya.  
"Say, Pervy Sage, why are you spying on the women in the hot springs?" Naruto demanded loudly, on purpose.  
The two of them, along with everyone else near the hot springs, suddenly heard a bunch of "kyaa's" from within the women's hot spring.  
Jiraiya glared at Naruto.  
"Well, now that you have ruined my research for my next book, what do you want?" The Pervy Toad Sage questioned.  
"I want to talk to you and Kakashi-sensei. We're going to Ichiraku's. Just waiting on Kakashi," Naruto stated.

Ten minutes later, the three of them sat down together at Ichiraku's. For once, Naruto ordered nothing.  
Shikamaru was sitting at the other end of the small place by himself. And when they started talking, he tried to ignore them.  
"So, Naruto, what did you make us come here for?" Kakashi asked.  
"Yeah, kid. What do yoi want our help with?" Jiraiya said. "I really need to finish my next book."  
Naruto sighed. "Hinata-chan and I are going to try dating. I asked her to go to a movie with me tonight and I really don't know the first thing about dating. I want to know what to do."  
Shikamaru glanced at them out of the corner of his eyes. 'I can't believe he's asking them for dating advice. Their both perverts,' he thought to himself.  
Kakashi chuckled. "Well, of course we'll help you."  
Jiraiya started talking next. "There's five steps to dating, Naruto. One, compliment her figure. Tell her she has nice breasts and a firm butt. Two, show your appreciation. Touch her nice body parts. Three, take her to dinner. Make her feel special. Four, get her drunk. Make sure you use something very strong. And Five, take her home and enjoy her sweet body."  
Kakashi looked at Naruto and nodded. "Yeah, that's all there is to dating. Now, I have to go."  
The sensei left.  
"Me too," Jiraiya said and disappeared.  
Shikamaru cleared his throat and Naruto glanced at him.  
"Hey, Shikamaru. Do you have something to say?" Naruto inquired.  
"Yes. Don't do anything Jiraiya just told you. Or Hinata will think you're a pig and Neji will kill you for her. Just be yourself. She likes you for you. At least that's what Temari tells me. Are really the only one that never noticed her constantly blushing when she was around you?" Shikamaru wad babbling.  
"I never did notice that," Naruto muttered sheepishly.  
The pineapple-haired boy, as some called him, stood up and paid for his ramen.  
"And one more thing, Naruto. Dress nicely, it will impress her," hhe said then he walked away.  
Naruto went home to get ready for the date, and tried to remember to not do anything that Jiraiya said.


	6. Chapter 6

Hinata walked home slowly after talking with Naruto. She didn't know how she was going to tell her father about this. She knew Hiashi Hyuga may not approve and it worried her. If he let Hanabi date Konohamaru, surely it would only be fair for her to get to date the guy that she liked.  
Yet, still, Hinata couldn't help but worry. If she told him he may not let her date Naruto-kun. However, if she went behind his back he would be furious and would definitely ban her from ever seeing Naruto-kun again.  
She decided that she had no other choice but to tell him.  
When she walked into the Hyuga compound, she immediately ran into Neji. Her father had moved him into the compound and had taken him under his wing. Caring for him now as if he was his son and even had been helping him with his training.  
"Hello, Hinata-san. How are you?" He asked her.  
She smiled at her cousin tenderly. "Neji-kun, I told you that you can just call me Hinata or Hinata-chan. There's no need f-for you t-to call m-me 'san'. Anyways, I'm kind of nervous."  
"Why are you nervous, Hinata-chan?" he asked, making her smile at the last part.  
"W-well... I h-have to tell m-my father s-something... And I'm afraid that he may get a-angry with m-me. But don't worry. Anyways, have you seen my father around, Neji-kun." She babbled a little bit.  
He looked like he was slightly suspicious.  
"I think he is in his office," he answered finally after a long pause.  
Hinata nodded, thanked her kind cousin, and then she went to her father's office.  
She gently knocked on the door of the office. And based on the sound of the knock, her father knew who it was.  
"Enter, Hinata," Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga family, commanded in a superior voice.  
The Hyuga Princess went in to face her father. She closed the door softly behind her and went over, taking a seat across from her father.  
"Father, I h-have something I want to talk to you about. I would a-appreciate it i-if you w-would just hear me out... a-and try to not get angry," she stammered nervously.  
Hiashi studied her for a moment then agreed to listen and to try to keep his anger in check.  
"I wanted to ask y-your permission to d-date N-Naruto-kun. H-he asked m-me out and I r-really like him, father. It's only fair, since Hanabi-chan gets to date Konohamaru," she explained cautiously.  
He took a deep breath before responding.  
"Hinata, you know you are next in line to take over the family. I don't understand why you would want to date the village monster. That boy's a punk. And an accident waiting to happen. What do you see in him?" her father hardly had a hold on his temper.  
Hinata thought she had the perfect answer for this question, to sway his opinion.  
"H-he is kind, funny, brave, he's focused on his dream, which makes him cool, and he's strong. Father, maybe he could help me become stronger, too. Then I will be more prepared when it comes time forme to take over. And you have already made a mistake before in judging Neji just because he was part of the second branch of the family. Please, just give him a chance. Don't judge him based on what is within him... Please?" the raven-haired beauty said.  
He seemed to have fallen for her tactic because he looked more resigned than angry now.  
"Fine," he sighed. "I don't mind you dating him. But keep in mind that if he tries anything funny, you won't be allowed to see him anymore."  
Th-thank you, father. I really appreciate th-this," she stood up and went over to give him a hug.  
She gave him a quick hug and then she went out to get ready for the date.  
As Hinata opened the door, she nearly crashed into Neji, who was standing in front of the door. He had an expression of irritation plastered on his face.  
"Hello, Neji-kun. I-Is something wrong?" she inquired.  
He just stared at her for what seemed like forever before finally answering.  
"You're going out with Naruto?" He asked, but he didn't give her a chance to reply. "Why would you want to do that? He's a knucklehead and a moron! He's just using you, Hinata."  
She tried to give him and answer then, but, once again, he didn't give her a chance. This time instead of continuing to talk, he walked away.  
The pearl-eyed girl just watched him go. She was very confused about why he was acting that way. However, she didn't have time to concern herself with it right now. She had to get ready for her date with Naruto-kun.  
When he was so far down the hallway that she couldn't see him anymore, she went to her room and called for reinforcements.  
She knew that Temari and she weren't very good friends, but she decided to call her and see if she was willing to help her out.  
Temari answer the phone quickly and sounded very cheerful. "Hello~?"  
"H-hello, Sabaku-chan? Th-this is H-Hinata Hyuga. I w-was wondering if I could ask for your help with something?" She said questioningly.  
Temari giggled on the other line. "Sure, Hinata-chan. And you know you can call me Temari-chan. But what was it that you needed?"  
"Well... Naruto-kun asked me on a date today... I know you a Nara-san go out all the time... So I was wondering if you could tell me what I should wear. I don't know what to wear on a date..."  
Temari could tell the raven-haired girl was very nervous even over the phone. So she decided to help her out the best she possibly could. Besides, she wanted to become closer friends with Hinata. She didn't have many friends, especially girl ones.  
"Well, Hinata-chan, I think you should wear a sun dress. Probably something white or yellow. Because it seems to me that you would look best in brighter colors. Plus, a dress is always a good option for a first date. It shows the guy that you like him. It will reassure Naruto, plus it will make him nervous, which is always good, because then you don't have to worry that you are the only nervous one on the date. And try not to worry too much. Okay? I'm sure your date will go great. How about tomorrow we meet up for lunch and you tell me how it went. Alright?"  
Hinata absorbed every bit of information that Temari gave her. She didn't want to do anything wrong. "O-okay. That sounds like fun. O-one more thing... what about make up? Should I wear any?"  
Temari pondered the question for a minute. "If you don't normally wear any, then no. Because if he asked you out and you don't wear make up, then that must mean he likes you better without it, and that you don't need it. And besides, I think you are pretty enough that you will never need make up. That all?"  
Hinata smiled at the kind answer. "Thank you, Temari-chan. Yes, that's all. I will talk to you tomorrow about where to meet for lunch. Thank you again and goodbye."  
Hinata hung up the phone after she heard Temari say "You're welcome. Bye."  
She put the phone down on her dresser and then she went to her closet. She looked through the clothes in there and found a knee-length white sundress with light purple lilacs on it, the color of the jacket that she always wears. She assured herself that it would work well for the first day. She took a very quick shower and then got out and got dressed then she just had to wait for the time, that Naruto agreed to pick her up, to roll around.


End file.
